My Experiences in the First Trimester

It was so hard not to blog/write about my first trimester experience as I went. I bought a pregnancy journal which includes a page for each week (with a picture of the fruit that the baby is a size of) and includes some questions for me to answer. I’ve really enjoyed filling that out. I also started keeping a sort of journal on the side in a gmail email draft to document the experience. For anyone curious, here’s how the first trimester went for me, week by week, as I experienced it.

Week 3 – The two week wait begins. For someone who loves to plan, this portion is terrible. I found a website called twoweekwait.com full of nervous hopeful mothers to be talking about every single tiny sign that they are pregnant. It both comforts me and overwhelms me. But I can’t stop reading.

Running at the Moving Shoes Carlsbad 5000 Kickoff Event – I didn’t know I was pregnant yet but had a strong feeling so I didn’t drink any beer.

Week 4 – Finally time to take a pregnancy test but my body has already told me that it’ll be positive (hello sore boobs!!!). My body is right! Go out and buy What to Expect When You’re Expecting and a pregnancy journal. I read as much as possible. Google Google Google (any person tracking my Google searches will for sure know I’m pregnant). But it still doesn’t feel real.

Week 5 – Nervousness about miscarriage at all time high the beginning of this week. We told our parents and some close friends and now it seems real, but it also seems like it could slip away at any moment.

Morning sickness starts. It started on Week 5, Day 3, a Monday morning and continued nearly all day, every day, all week. I always had heard about morning sickness but hearing and living are two very different things. So far no barfing, but I literally feel hungover every day. Every single day at work I contemplate leaving to go home and sleep and say I’m sick but every day I talk myself out of it because I know it’s only supposed to get worse and I need to save up my sick excuses.

The bright side of morning sickness is that studies show you have a lower chance of miscarriage if you’re sick (it’s a sign hormone levels are high – this definitely does not mean you can’t miscarry, but chances are lower). So despite feeling like crap all week, I actually felt a small sense of relief knowing that things were progressing. Most doctors won’t see you until at least week 8, so you have little reassurance of anything besides your miserable symptoms until then.

Wrapping up our 31 runs and 31 planks in 31 days challenge with Asia at the end of Week 5

Week 6 – Week 6 started off pretty good. I felt pretty good on Friday (although for record, I am only craving carbs, salt and greasy foods like bagels and french fries, both of which I had on Friday). Luckily Saturday and Sunday I felt even better – there was some nausea but it wasn’t overwhelming. We drove up to Huntington Beach on Saturday to see friends, pick up our bib at the Surf City Marathon Expo and have dinner with family. Sunday we ran the Surf City Half Marathon. Mike ran with me and we ran without chips (see here for my race report). What I didn’t mention in my race report (besides being pregnant) was that it was quite humbling to be running as slow as we did and I had to fight to urge to pick up the pace a lot. But, I did just what I had read was safe, and kept my breathing under control (I was told as long as you can talk you’re good) and drank a TON of water. I stopped 3 times for refills so I know I drank at least 3 full water bottles of water. Usually I just drink 1 in a half marathon, so I know I was at least more hydrated than normal. After the race I was tired – and ended up sleeping 11 hours that night (from 7:45 PM to 7 a.m.) after the Super Bowl.

Surf City Half Marathon Finishers – we told my Dad and Step Mom the good news right before the race started!

Unfortunately, the morning sickness returned Monday with a vengeance (I think it was worse due to caffeine withdrawals because the nausea caused me to stop drinking coffee). A lot of my normal foods didn’t sound good (like my mid-morning almonds) so I ended up buying Saltine crackers and pita chips (original flavor only) during a mid-morning emergency trip to the grocery store. Usually by lunch time my appetite is back so I’m still able to eat normal lunches at this point.

This is the week I started going back to Pilates (I had done the 31 day run/plank streak in January so wasn’t doing a lot of cross training) – I went Tuesday and Thursday. Tuesday was rough as I was quite nauseous but I felt better on Thursday.

Week 7 – Again, the weekend wasn’t so bad. Enjoyed 11.5 hours of sleep on Friday night (some kind of record) and had an amazing Pilates workout on Saturday.

However, morning sickness during the week ebbed and flowed but when it was bad, it was possibly worse than ever. Still no vomiting but a lot of discomfort.

Week 8 – Really starting to feel confident about the pregnancy and miscarriage fears are starting to ease a bit. Being sick and tired all the time helps reminds me that I’m indeed still pregnant! This week was Valentine’s Day and President’s Day weekend. I was a bit disappointed when our Valentine’s Day meal at my favorite restaurant just didn’t taste as good as usual. Nothing really does these days, not to mention it wasn’t as wonderful without the wine!

I ran 8.4 miles on Sunday and unfortunately waited until it was quite hot (high 70s) to run. This was a rough one. I ran sooo slow and was pretty uncomfortable the whole time. I didn’t feel I was doing any damage- if I did, I would have stopped. It just wasn’t fun. I drank a ton of water and stopped 3 times for rest/bathroom/water refill and the run took me nearly an hour and forty five minutes!

I slept my face off all weekend, averaging 10-11 hours a night and also took naps. I’m a sleeping machine.

Week 8, Day 6 – First doctor’s appointment! The day I’ve been waiting for for sooo long. We saw our baby and heard it’s very strong heart beat! It was even more wonderful than I imagined. I cried when we saw the baby. Mike was beaming all day afterward- he clearly transformed from being cautious to very excited about this baby we made!

In other news – I have cried more in the last 8 weeks than I have in the last 2 years. I’ll cry due to a sad YouTube video or episode of Grey’s Anatomy.

Valentine’s Hike – 8 Weeks Pregnant

Week 9 – I got my Fitn membership and started attending Xtend Barre! This is a very pregnancy friendly workout and I really like that we spend relatively no time on our backs, which is going to be something I have to worry about later on in pregnancy. I can see myself doing this workout for the whole pregnancy. This is also the week we started to document my “bump” progress (or lack thereof) via weekly photos.

Week 10 – First (and only) time puking from the nausea. I went home sick from work and threw up once I got home luckily!

Around this week is when I noticed my running got much slower. I think it’s a combination of my leg soreness from Xtend Barre and yoga classes but also because the baby literally doubled in size over the course of weeks 9-11. My body was working hard. Paces were in the high 10s/low 11s. I actually had a really great 10 mile run on a rainy day but it was also very slow!

I also have really noticed my weight gain this week. I’ve gained 5 lbs at this point and my pants are starting to fit tighter. I know most of the weight is due to my change in eating habits and some water retention. I caved and bought a pair of maternity leggings that my friend recommended!

Week 11 – I thought my nausea was getting better but then I had a really bad bout of nausea/dizziness/faintness while at Vons picking up balloons for my coworkers baby shower. I thought I might pass out in the Vons restroom but luckily I made it through and felt better enough to drive back to the office. I later talked about this with my doctor and she said it definitely happens and can be related to low blood sugar.

I switched doctors so we got to see the baby on an ultrasound again! It was a treat. Mike came with me again and it was just as special as before. The ultrasound tech was incredibly nice and we looked at the baby for a long time and from all different angles. Again, he/she is measuring just a few days ahead and was moving around like crazy. It even looked like she/he waved as us! The tech guessed girl. We’ll see!

Week 12 – We headed to Zion to run the half marathon and hike! My nausea really started getting better but indigestion/bloating got worse. Could also have been aggravated by unfamiliar food, but my stomach was not happy on Saturday night!

Because my nausea was going away, this was the first time I was really wanting to drink and was sad that I couldn’t. Beer never looked so good as it did after that half marathon!

Last week before I finally could get my hair done!!! 🙂 And is there a bump there? Maybe!?

Week 13- The last week of the first trimester! My morning sickness is 95% gone. I still have some food aversions but I was able to eat a lot of my old healthy foods (even a spinach salad for lunch!). For the record, I gained 8 lbs in the first trimester!

I had my First Trimester Screening Ultrasound ( this is combined with the blood test I took during week 11) and the results came back great. Our baby appears very healthy and it was a treat to get to see him/her again. This is the week I told my boss and my co-workers that we’re having a baby! it finally feels real.

So that’s the run down of my first trimester experience. It was fun to go back and read this since I documented it as I went. I went through a range of emotions in the first trimester and I’m finally glad to be settled on excitement as my primary emotion. My favorite part of the first trimester was seeing the baby and hearing the heart beat for the first time. My least favorite part was the nausea & not being able to eat healthy foods that make me feel good.

What was your favorite and/or least favorite part of the first trimester? If you’ve never been pregnant, what part scares you the most!?

Reader Interactions

Comments

Lol, I love first trimester because you are still skinny but you get the boobs! Lol, for a suuuuper teeny chested gal like me (well, save for pregnancy and nursing that is) those were exciting times! Poor hubby though. They finally get big and I’m like “hands off, they hurt!” Hehe.

Fun post! I’m within a few days of you on my own first pregnancy journey, due mid-September. I can identify with so much here – the obsessive two week wait website checking, salty cravings, tiredness, emotional outbursts. I was also worried about miscarriage at the start but started to relax a bit as I continued to feel healthy throughout the first few weeks. I have gradually stopped googling things as I found it really didn’t help. In the UK we don’t normally get a scan until 12 weeks, so I started to get a little nervous about that in weeks 10/11. Was so reassuring and exciting when we got to see the little one’s heart beating and the arms and legs waving around!

So impressed with your pregnant half marathons. I would love to get in a 5k or 10k race or two before I start to get uncomfortable, would be fun to say I did one with baby on board. I hope your sickness continues to ease and stay away. You look great, congratulations!

You are just BEAUTIFUL, mama! I am sorry to hear you had a lot of morning sickness in the first trimester. I don’t know how I escaped getting sick. My moods however were off the chart crazy – up and down like a light switch. Did you have any weird changes in mood/emotions?

You sound exactly like me – as soon as I found out I was pregnant I began Googling everything and bought a few journals/books to keep me busy. It was TORTURE waiting until week 8 to see the doctor (that is an eternity is pregnant woman world).

I love that you have continued running through pregnancy and have already complete two half marathons! SO inspiring.

What brand of maternity leggings did your friend recommend?

My favorite part of the first trimester was still feeling somewhat normal while exercising, the extra attention and help around the house from my husband, and taking a nap in the middle of the day or getting in extra lounge time (which felt nice). My least favorite part was the emotional rollercoaster I was on every day. It was awful. I am most scared about labor and giving birth. I can’t even think about it right now without panicking!

Congratulations! I, too, am pregnant with my first, due in August. Are you using the ‘From Pea to Pumpkin’ journal? That is the one I have! My favorite part of the first trimester was just the pure happiness of my secret, and of course seeing the baby for the first time….my least favorite part was my lack of energy. I ran slower in my first trimester than I have in my second. Luckily, I have had no morning sickness, but I hope you are feeling better these days!!

Congrats Laura! I’m feeling so much better in the 2nd trimester so far – sometimes it scares me though because I don’t feel pregnant anymore! Did you ever feel that way?! Can’t wait for another doctor appointment to ease my mind a bit.

Love that you wrote this! It’ll be fun to look back on.
And you look so fabulous!
Ha ha- Kelly was so happy when I was nauseous 24/7 since that meant my hormones were high and the baby was most likely doing well! Me? Not so happy about it!

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comment

Name *

Email *

Website

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

Primary Sidebar

Search this website

Welcome to My Blog!

I’m Nicole. I’m a runner, mom to three girls (including twins!), and fitness lover who attempts to live a life of balance as a pizza, craft beer and coffee lover. I live and train near the ocean in San Diego and always keep it real here – there are lots of failures along with my successes in these pages, but what you’ll never see me do is give up!

I am a former accountant who started this blog from a place of absolute passion and love for health and fitness. I’ve now turned it into a way for me to reach and help more people as a health & fitness coach & it’s my mission to help as many women as possible achieve their own goals. I’ve brought hundreds of women into my community and helped them gain confidence and happiness through either my monthly accountability groups or by following their dreams as an online coach as well!

If you’d like to reach out to me for any reason, contact me at fitnessfataleblog at gmail dot com!

Let’s Get Stronger, Fitter, & Healthier Together!

I am a health and fitness coach. I run monthly challenge groups which provide daily accountability and guidance through your journey to achieve your own personal goals.

If you're a runner who is looking to mix in strength training, don't hesitate to reach out! You can compliment your running by including a modified version of any of the programs with your running schedule.

Upcoming Groups:

March 18th: Ultimate Portion Fix Nutrition-Only Support Group

April 15th: 4 Week Virtual Accountability Group - Transform:20, 21 Day Fix, 80 Day Obsession, LIIFT4 or any other program.

Curious about becoming a virtual fitness coach yourself? Join our next private Facebook event and learn all about it with no obligation.